TIME and TIME for Kids Name the 2024 Kid of the Year: 15-Year-Old Scientist Heman Bekele

Today, TIME and TIME for Kids reveal the 2024 Kid of the Year, recognizing one exceptional young person—and five honorees—giving hope for the future.  

This year’s recipient is 15-year-old scientist Heman Bekele from Fairfax, Virginia. He is recognized for developing an affordable compound-based bar of soap that could in the future be a new and more accessible way to deliver medication to treat skin cancers, including melanoma. 

Bekele tells TIME: “I’m really passionate about skin-cancer research…. whether it’s my own research or what’s happening in the field. It’s absolutely incredible to think that one day my bar of soap will be able to make a direct impact on somebody else’s life. That’s the reason I started this all in the first place.” 

--Read the cover story and watch the interview with 2024 Kid of the Year Heman Bekele. https://bit.ly/46N1413 

--See the TIME cover, featuring a photograph by Dina Litovsky for TIME. https://bit.ly/4dfikOX 

The other five 2024 Kid of the Year honorees include: inventor Shanya Gill (13, San Jose, CA), advocate Madhvi Chittoor (12, Arvada, CO), advocate Jordan Sucato (15, Phoenix, AZ), actor Keivonn Woodard (11, Bowie, MD), and entrepreneur Dom Pecora (15, Malvern, PA). Read the Kid of the Year honoree profiles: https://bit.ly/3Ae3iuh 

Of the new list, TIME’s editors write: “For over a century, TIME has covered influence and leadership. Typically, those we recognize are fully grown adults—in the prime of their careers or sage elders reflecting on long experience. But there are exceptions…. In fact, young people are some of the most impressive individuals out there…. That’s why we choose to recognize TIME’s Kid of the Year.”

To select the 2024 Kid of the Year, TIME solicited nominations for young leaders who are making admirable contributions in a range of fields—including social justice, science, and business. Editors and writers combed through submissions and conducted research to identify stand-out kids in the U.S. ages 8-16. Then, as part of the selection process, a team of TIME for Kids Kid Reporters weighed in on the finalists. https://bit.ly/3WB0jDQ 

The 2024 Kid of the Year package appears in the August 26 issue of TIME, available on newsstands on Friday, August 16.

###

About TIME

TIME is the 101-year-old global media brand that reaches a combined audience of over 120 million around the world through its iconic magazine and digital platforms. With unparalleled access to the world's most influential people, the trust of consumers and partners globally, and an unrivaled power to convene, TIME's mission is to tell the essential stories of the people and ideas that shape and improve the world. Today, TIME also includes the Emmy Award®-winning film and television division TIME Studios; a significantly expanded live events business built on the powerful TIME100 and Person of the Year franchises and custom experiences; TIME for Kids, which provides trusted news with a focus on news literacy for kids and valuable resources for teachers and families; the award-winning branded content studio Red Border Studios; the website-building platform TIME Sites; the sustainability and climate action division TIME CO2; the new e-commerce and content platform TIME Stamped, and more.